2013-11-03
Explanation
The Joke
A demon or devil figure curses a man to live forever. The man is unimpressed, countering each supposed torment: forests will change, but he'll be famous as the world's oldest man; immortality will separate him from mortal peers, but it'll make him better than them; he'll watch his loved ones die, but he'll get over it. Finally, the demon delivers the real curse: "You will have to watch endless remakes of beloved movies." The man screams "HAVE MERCY! HAVE MERCY!"
The Humor
The comic subverts the classic "cursed with immortality" trope from mythology and fiction. All the traditionally terrifying aspects of eternal life -- watching everyone you love die, being alienated from humanity, seeing the world change beyond recognition -- are casually brushed off by the pragmatic victim. The punchline lands because the one thing that finally breaks him is something trivially annoying but relatable: having to endure endless Hollywood remakes of classic films. The joke works by escalating from genuinely profound existential horrors (which the man shrugs off) to a petty pop-culture grievance (which devastates him), satirizing modern audiences' priorities.